River cruise

Stuart Perl returns to river cruise sector with new international sales role

In his new position, Perl will attract international customers to Scylla’s ships by working with small tour operators which want to charter vessels for individual sailings

Increase in January customers offset by fall in spend with agents – Barclays

Barclays Consumer Spend report finds transactions through agents in January grew but at reduced value, with airlines not faring so well

Five big group bookings other agents can learn from

Large group bookings may appear daunting at first, but they can be very lucrative if they are approached in the right way; TTG’s Harry Kemble spoke to the experts to find out how they got some huge cruise bookings over the line

How did peaks 2025 compare with last year?

TTG’s survey of more than 130 travel agents reveals concerns for suppliers undercutting on price, a peaks that is on par with the previous year and tips for new destinations to tempt clients

Celebrity River Cruises will ‘rock the boat and shake up river’, agents say

Celebrity Cruises’ planned entry into the river market will attract a swathe of new customers to the brand and rock the boats of the sector’s established operators, agents have told TTG

Royal boss hints Silversea could soon follow Celebrity and launch river ships

Royal Caribbean president and chief executive Jason Liberty confirmed Celebrity River Cruises will appeal to ultra-luxury customers when it launches its first two 180-passenger ships in 2027

Celebrity to operate river cruises after agreeing 10-ship deal

The premium line will start operating river sailings in 2027

Cruise 'performing well' during peaks, but not every agency chief agrees

While some said cruise sales were rolling in this year, one established agency boss flagged concerns around discounting and another said bookings had been slower than anticipated

6 river cruise destination trends to boost your sales pitches

From the benefits of travelling in green season to a lesser-explored part of India, these are the hottest trends inspiring the creation of new river cruise itineraries

Riviera Travel combines top sellers to meet demand for combination cruises

The river cruise and escorted touring specialist is offering six combination cruises in 2025 and 2026, including the new 14-night Grand Cruise of France itinerary

ROL Cruise contacted by ‘five or six’ agencies about new employee ownership model

The Colchester-based cruise specialist announced in November it had become employee-owned, with Rosie Cairns assuming the role of chief executive and Sarah Wikevand taking up the position of managing director

The key ships launching in 2025 – and how agents can get on them

TTG approached travel’s ocean and river lines late last year to find out how agents could get onboard the new vessels launching in 2025. Here’s what they had to say

Riviera Travel to pay agents commission on wider range of elements in 2025

Starting 1 January, the operator now pays commission on single supplements, upgrades, extra baggage, pre-booked seats and priority boarding bookings

'It's a great alternative to a city break': behind the scenes on the TTG Riviera Fest fam

Join a group of lucky agents on Riviera Travel’s Burgundy, The River Rhone and Provence sailing onboard the Lord Byron, and discover their highlights and key selling tips

Tui pushes app sales as it goes up against Jet2 and easyJet with peaks offers

Tui has opened its peaks offers via its app – three days before putting them on sale through the trade – while Jet2holidays has also detailed its turn of year discounts

Inspire targeting 'significant' growth with launch of 'one-stop-shop' cruise website

Inspire Europe customers can search different live cruise options according to their preferences on the new website – www.cruisecollection.uk – but must call one of the agency’s 90 homeworkers or ring its call centre to book. The site features 44 lines from across the cruise sector

Panache Cruises invests £500k to support UK and US expansion plans

Money will be spent on additional office space for Panache Cruises at Strawberry Fields Digital Hub in Lancashire, and a larger premises in the US as well as more staff on both sides of the Atlantic

'Business as usual,' says Scenic Group as Nick Hughes departs

Director of sales, partnerships and strategic growth departs, with Scenic pledging to ensure support for agents is ’business as usual’

Tui agent reveals 2,000th cruise booking celebration plans

Assistant store manager Rachel Liversidge, who has spent 24 years with the travel giant, has sold an average of 75 cruises a year. Yet, she reckons she has only personally sailed on a cruise ship ’five or six’ times

Uniworld bets on demand for unique long-haul river experiences

UK and Ireland managing director Chris Townson has told industry partners long-haul destinations such as India and Peru are already sold out for early 2025

Avalon Waterways to sell exclusively through agents in Ireland

Following a recent uptick in demand for river cruising in the country, the line has agreed a partnership with ASM Ireland to start selling its sailings via the Irish travel trade

AmaWaterways to consider Congo River sailings if safety challenges can be overcome

After the luxury river line recently referred to itself as a ’pioneer’, TTG asked which waterways around the world it could operate on in the future

Discounting frustration, female leadership and famous explorers, plus four more cruise talking points

How did cruise lines react when agents expressed frustration over discounting in the market? What can agents do to up their expedition sales? And how cruise is becoming a more sustainable holiday choice? Everything we learned from Advantage’s biggest-ever cruise conference

Tauck to launch two new-build river ships in France in 2026

Two new ships will join the Tauck fleet in spring 2026 sailing the Rhone and the Seine